The UK Government today launched the first phase of its Business Bank, announcing that £300m will be invested in the venture.

The money will be the first slice of £1bn of new capital, with the aim of boosting smaller firms (SMEs) struggling to access finance.

Ministers said they expected the first transactions will take place by the autumn, although applicants were urged to submit an expression of interest by May 22.

Funding will be available to businesses in Wales. Finance Wales, the investment bank subsidiary of the Welsh Government, has already approached the UK Government to register its interest in running funds offered by the bank.

Business Secretary Vince Cable said: “Small and medium sized businesses are still telling me that access to finance is their number one problem, preventing them from investing and growing.

“That’s why through the Business Bank we are developing a range of measures to provide businesses with the power to choose the type of finance that suits them.

“Today’s £300m boost shows we are serious about increasing competition and diversity in the business lending market.

“Establishing a lasting Business Bank institution is a long-term project, but getting this money reaching SMEs as soon as possible is the first step.”

The Government committed £1 billion of new capital to the Business Bank last year, saying it wanted to encourage the growth of smaller lenders and new entrants to the market.

The bank will not be operational until next year, but the Government said it wanted to make support available to small and medium sized businesses as soon as possible in advance of this.

Dr Adam Marshall, director of policy at the British Chambers of Commerce, said: “We welcome the Government’s move to increase competition in SME finance by offering £300 million to co-invest alongside the private sector.

“Vince Cable is right to say that the creation of a fully-fledged Business Bank is a long-term project.

“However, for the Business Bank to be a game-changer, it urgently requires both vision and scale. To that end, we continue to urge ministers and the Bank of England to ’think bigger’ when it comes to the bank’s investment capital, to ensure the bank can operate independently of Whitehall, and allow it to work directly with dynamic new and growing companies as soon as possible, and for the long term.”

Janet Jones Welsh Policy Unit Chair for the Federation of Small Businesses said: “It is good news that the Business Bank wants to get finance out quickly to the businesses that need it. The FSB has long called for more competition in the sector to promote choice and innovation, so we welcome the diversity that this institution will create. We would urge alternative finance providers to make an application for the funding.

“However, because the Business Bank initiative is at a UK level, it remains to be seen how much of the funding will reach businesses in Wales, and how it will complement existing forms of funding available to Welsh SMEs.”